Music from cloud nine with the Boston Camerata

Monday

Nov 27, 2017 at 2:33 PMNov 27, 2017 at 2:33 PM

By Chris Bergeron, Correspondent

Founding an ensemble in 1954 that would use instruments from other cultures to play music from earlier eras, Narcissa Williamson called it the Camerata from an Italian word meaning "an intimate gathering of musicians and artists in a choir or orchestra."

More than 60 years later, the Christmas concerts of the Boston Camerata, now led by Anne Azéma, have become a treasured tradition across New England and around the world for the breadth of their historical research and the craft and passion of its eclectic musicians.

“We share with joy a program of Christmas music that brings together European styles from all around the Mediterranean basin,” said Azéma, a French-born singer and scholar who has served as artistic director since 2008. “We are known for our immediacy and energy and hope to provide many intimate moments. Let yourself be carried away by our music.”

America’s preeminent music ensemble will present this month its longstanding holiday season favorite, “A Mediterranean Christmas,” featuring a repertoire drawn from regional traditions, medieval manuscripts and rare presentations of Baroque and Renaissance carols at three Bay State venues. They will be joined by the SHARQ Arabic Ensemble.

Vocalists and musicians will move audiences by retelling the Christmas story through songs, chants and instrumental works taken from medieval manuscripts and folkloric and oral traditions from countries around the Mediterranean basin, including the Holy Land, Spain, Italy, France and North Africa.

Singing in ancient languages including Latin, Italian, Hebrew and Arabic and accompanied by traditional instruments, Azéma said Boston Camerata aspires to create “a musical bridge across geography and the centuries” to enrapture audiences in the beauty of music.

“Our music is alive and something people can share,” said Azéma. “We hope people who come to hear us will leave on a cloud.”

Moroccan percussionist Boujemaa Razgui, who will play and sing in the show, said the traditional music from several cultures conveys a sense of acceptance and peace among varied people.

“It’s very old and very beautiful,” said the Brockton resident. “I think the audience will feel peaceful.”

And for the first time in more than 20 years, a separate cast of 13 vocalists and musicians from the group will perform “Carols at Midnight: French Christmas Music 1500-1700” in Cambridge.

Azéma explained the program offers “a cornucopia of beautiful French Christmas music,” for voices, viols, flutes, harp and organ, including liturgies and early Baroque carols and dances.

A candlelit performance of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Messe de Minuit” will provide a moving centerpiece to the performance, she said.

“This Christmas season was a perfect time to do it. It’s a very accessible piece,’’ said Azéma. “The music will bring the audience to a softer, sweeter place with both some exuberant and some inward, joyful moments.”

Touring regularly in the U.S. and around the world, the Boston Camerata has played in France, Finland, Luxembourg, Brazil, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, as well as in countries in the Middle East and Asia.

It was founded by Williamson, who worked in the education department at the Museum of Fine Arts, and became an independent nonprofit in 1974. It has earned several international and domestic prizes for its award-winning recordings.

Andrew Arceci, an Acton resident who will play the stringed viola da gamba, described “Carols at Midnight” as “a fantastic program” that revives Charpentier’s sacred vocal music with stunning effect.

“It’s not performed that often and that makes it all the more incredible,” said Arceci who directs Wellesley College’s Collegium Musicum. “The program tells a human story that will resonate with people of all beliefs.”

While many of the shows' songs and several of the cast members have come from lands scarred by conflict, Azéma observed Boston Camerata’s music seeks to unify listeners through the soothing and sacred beauty of music.

“I think the beauty of simply being together for two hours in one room with many people – away from emails and text messages – can connect audiences to another place free from anxieties and pressure where they can experience peace,” she said. “It’s hard to define that place, but it’s a powerful and joyful experience above and beyond words.”